Carnival Week in Dovercourt

Carnival spirit engulfs Dovercourt with many participants in fancy dress, including costumed regalia for the Carnival Queen. Captured by Thomas Bernard of Harwich in 1934.

A week-long summertime festival of fun and games for the small seaside town of Dovercourt, Essex. Taking advantage of their coastal location participants compete on sea as well as land, testing their strength, agility and good sportsmanship with a range of traditional and less traditional activities including ‘sack battles’ on or over the water – not an easy balancing feat that’s sure to end in a Dovercourt Bay dunking. Fireworks out at sea complete the festivities.

Captured by Thomas Bernard of Harwich. Thomas' father Charles Bernard established a Naval Uniform Outfitters at 63 Church Street in Harwich. When Charles passed on, Thomas continued the family business. Thomas had a 16mm camera and recorded not only his holidays, but events and happenings in Harwich and Dovercourt which the filmmaker dubbed the 'Bernard Bulletin'. It is likely that the filmmaker's son, also named Thomas, features somewhere within the footage. The filmmaker regularly showed his captured footage to film clubs and other local organisations.